How did you use Evernote and the Evernote Web Clipper to support your work in this course?
I used Evernote to organize class notes by class date and by topic area and by authors that we read, using the notebooks feature. I used the web clipper early on to save articles and research I found on the web that were related to our class readings and class discussions. Unfortunately half way through the course Evernote required an update. That update disabled web clipper. Even after re-enabling it Evernote later came up as "damaged" when I tried accessing it from my computer. I kept having to go back to the actual web site to access it. As often happens when I try new technology for tracking my research, resources and information, I ended up going back to my tried and true method of using named folders and subfolders on my hard drive. I needed to save the information I was learning in this course for my dissertation and since I felt I would be much more likely to access it in my usual way, I started just double saving to Evernote and to my hard drive folders. Since saving to folders and subfolders is a method that I am comfortable with; and I already have a lot of data and research for my dissertation captured in this way; I often end up reverting to that format. I am always looking for a better technology solution but I have not yet found one as elegant as the folders. I name my folders and subfolders so I can easily find information by topic and the folders are searchable for information within. I occasionally have to save something twice if it fits in two categories but it is not often enough to cause concern. I find that much easier than dealing with the cumbersome tag line method of Evernote. I also have very little faith in technology in general so I like to have things on my hard drive, rather than in a cloud format. I prefer copying and pasting both the url for an article and the text of an article itself into a word document and saving it in a categorized folder in my hard drive rather than using Evernote because articles sometimes dissapear after a period of time unless you are willing to pay for the content and I like to be able to access the original text without paying in case I need to reference it specifically. I find this very easy to do at this point. I did give Evernote a good "college try" but it just wasn't for me.
What other uses for your PKB did you develop as you got more comfortable with Evernote?
Unfortunately Evernote just never became a comfortable way for me to collect information. The exciting thing about technology is that it offers so many different solutions to meet different needs and different users learning and organizing styles. I have used mind mapping software, timeline software, and other ways of organizing information. I use doodle.com to schedule meetings and Drop Box and Google Docs to share files. I also enjoyed learning new ways of using WikiSapces in this class and I am incorporating them into the nonprofit marketing class I am teaching at PC this semester. However, Evernote just didn't work for me. I created a notebook for each class and kept my notes there. I also created notebooks for different topics we were looking at and initially used web clipper to attach articles of interest. I did end up reverting to my tried and true system however, not because I am wary of technology but because this particular one just doesn't work for me.
Describe your PKB's organizational scheme. How many notebooks have your created? What (if any) tags are your using? What uses (if any) have you discovered for note links?
I used notebooks to capture notes from class, to organize ideas from particular books that we read, and along particular themes. I created tags that included teaching strategies, ERIC (for articles downloaded from ERIC) and diverse learners.
Describe at least one metacognitive protocol that YOU develop to augment your current thinking. This could be a study strategy that you have adapted, a way to organize your research, or so other way of organizing your new knowledge for writing, planning, etc. The also be strategy that you think would be useful for you (or others) for some future purpose.
I feel very comfortable with organizing my research by general topic areas that are accepted by educational researchers as well as by researchers themselves. Often there is a main current researcher in the field which a number other researchers are referencing. I like to organize my research in these two ways. I also like to create outlines, time lines and mind maps. I find time lines extremely helpful because they provide context - especially if you are interested in reform as I am. Mind maps are also useful because they can show the growth of thinking in a particular field or the ways that different concepts connect. I also use good old fashioned outlines and written pieces to organize my thinking and begin to capture the essence of what I am finding. I try to continue to refine my writing until I am getting at the core of what I have researched or what I am trying to express. I believe in using the best available tool to capture the information I am looking to capture at any given time, rather than committing to one particular way of capturing information.
Personal Knowledge Base
I used Evernote to organize class notes by class date and by topic area and by authors that we read, using the notebooks feature. I used the web clipper early on to save articles and research I found on the web that were related to our class readings and class discussions. Unfortunately half way through the course Evernote required an update. That update disabled web clipper. Even after re-enabling it Evernote later came up as "damaged" when I tried accessing it from my computer. I kept having to go back to the actual web site to access it. As often happens when I try new technology for tracking my research, resources and information, I ended up going back to my tried and true method of using named folders and subfolders on my hard drive. I needed to save the information I was learning in this course for my dissertation and since I felt I would be much more likely to access it in my usual way, I started just double saving to Evernote and to my hard drive folders. Since saving to folders and subfolders is a method that I am comfortable with; and I already have a lot of data and research for my dissertation captured in this way; I often end up reverting to that format. I am always looking for a better technology solution but I have not yet found one as elegant as the folders. I name my folders and subfolders so I can easily find information by topic and the folders are searchable for information within. I occasionally have to save something twice if it fits in two categories but it is not often enough to cause concern. I find that much easier than dealing with the cumbersome tag line method of Evernote. I also have very little faith in technology in general so I like to have things on my hard drive, rather than in a cloud format. I prefer copying and pasting both the url for an article and the text of an article itself into a word document and saving it in a categorized folder in my hard drive rather than using Evernote because articles sometimes dissapear after a period of time unless you are willing to pay for the content and I like to be able to access the original text without paying in case I need to reference it specifically. I find this very easy to do at this point. I did give Evernote a good "college try" but it just wasn't for me.
Unfortunately Evernote just never became a comfortable way for me to collect information. The exciting thing about technology is that it offers so many different solutions to meet different needs and different users learning and organizing styles. I have used mind mapping software, timeline software, and other ways of organizing information. I use doodle.com to schedule meetings and Drop Box and Google Docs to share files. I also enjoyed learning new ways of using WikiSapces in this class and I am incorporating them into the nonprofit marketing class I am teaching at PC this semester. However, Evernote just didn't work for me. I created a notebook for each class and kept my notes there. I also created notebooks for different topics we were looking at and initially used web clipper to attach articles of interest. I did end up reverting to my tried and true system however, not because I am wary of technology but because this particular one just doesn't work for me.
I used notebooks to capture notes from class, to organize ideas from particular books that we read, and along particular themes. I created tags that included teaching strategies, ERIC (for articles downloaded from ERIC) and diverse learners.
I feel very comfortable with organizing my research by general topic areas that are accepted by educational researchers as well as by researchers themselves. Often there is a main current researcher in the field which a number other researchers are referencing. I like to organize my research in these two ways. I also like to create outlines, time lines and mind maps. I find time lines extremely helpful because they provide context - especially if you are interested in reform as I am. Mind maps are also useful because they can show the growth of thinking in a particular field or the ways that different concepts connect. I also use good old fashioned outlines and written pieces to organize my thinking and begin to capture the essence of what I am finding. I try to continue to refine my writing until I am getting at the core of what I have researched or what I am trying to express. I believe in using the best available tool to capture the information I am looking to capture at any given time, rather than committing to one particular way of capturing information.
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